Anjappar Style Chicken Briyani

I hope many of the meat eating fans would definitely love foods from Anjappar hotels, a famous south side restaurants, serving pretty good non-veg items, now all around the globe. I'm no exception to that population as well, I love their fish curries, briyani, esp their mutton briyani, and chicken 65 and chicken lollipops, these were our usual order whenever we visit the place.

Unfortunately, it's not the same after moving to US and then to here in KL, though I've a branch in KL very close to my condo, I's so happy when I heard Saravana Bhavan n Anjappar r close to my home, but the quality they serve here is not upto the standards and that had upset my tummy way too bad when I moved to KL initially. From then, I've stopped going to the place, instead tried many similar kinda recipes. The recipe I'm going to share is barely adapted from the Geetha's page with some modifications to get the authentic flavour and I remember bookmarking her recipes years back. Finally am glad I've tried, VJ really loved it and yes, me as well. One thing I want to make sure is the spices I've added is mild and the briyani will not be spicy. So, If u want to have it spicy, kindly more green chillies or red chilli powder, I've used similar type of Kashmiri red chilli powder, so is the spicy colour.

Clean and rinse the chicken pieces and marinate them with 1 tbsp red chilli powder, 1 tbsp ginger garlic green chilly paste, salt and lemon juice. Apply the masala all over the chicken, mix well, cover and refrigerate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Wash the rice and soak them in good water for at the least 20 to 30 minutes.

Method:

Take a wide bottomed, deep kadai and pour in the 2 tbsp of oil and 1tbsp + 2 tsp tbsp of ghee, heat it for 30 secs. Do the seasoning with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, star anise and mace. Add the whole spices one by one and fry them well.

Click on the pic for better view

Now dump in the finely sliced onions, slit open green chillies to the oil and add a pinch of salt. Let the onions fry for 1 to 2 minutes on a medium flame until they are golden in colour. Spoon in 1 tsp of ginger garlic garlic paste to the onion , saute them well so that it doesn't get stick to the bottom.

Click on the pic for better view

Add half of the chopped mint and coriander leaves and mix well for 10 secs. Next add in the ground onion paste , required salt and stir often, if unattended, the paste will stick on to the bottom. Cover and cook the onion paste for 2 to 3 minutes on medium low flame or until the oil starts appearing on the sides and top.

Click on the pic for better view

Now drop in the cubed tomatoes and let them cook until they are soft, beginning to break. At this stage add the marinated chicken pieces to the masala and mix them thoroughly. Do not add water at this stage. Cover the pan and cook the chicken for 5 minutes on medium low flame. By now, the chicken would have turned to pale white in colour.

Click on the pic for better view

Pour in 3 3/4 cup of water ( 1 :1 1/4 , rice to water ratio) and combine well with the korma. Let them sit in the medium heat and boil for a minutes.

Add the soaked rice and the reamaing chopped corainder , mint leaves at this stage and mix well. Check for the salt and cook open on medium low flame until the rice gets 50 % cooked. Do not forget to stir once or twice and cover the pot with a tight lid or cover it with aluminium foil like in the pic, to keep the steam inside.

Click on the pic for better view

Heat a tawa/ dosa pan on high flame for a minute and keep the briyani pot on top. Initially the flame has be in medium for the first 3 to 4 minutes and then lower the flame completely to simmer and let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Later switch off the stove, remove the pot from the heat, wait for 2 minutes and then remove the foil and pour in / sprinkle the lemon juice , 1 tsp of ghee in circles. Again cover the pan with the aluminium foil, let it sit for 5 minutes. Later, open the pan and fluff the rice with a fork and serve with chicken curry and raita.

My Notes:

As I've already mentioned, this is a mildly spiced biryani, use hot red chilli powder instead of Kashmiri chilli powder and add more green chillies.

U may also add ( 1 : 1 , rice to water ratio, if soaking the rice for long) to get a grainy rice.

There's no curd , turmeric powder needed for this recipe. If needed, u may add turmeric powder to this recipe.

Clean and rinse the chicken pieces and marinate them with 1 tbsp red chilli
powder, 1 tbsp ginger garlic green chilly paste, salt and lemon juice.
Apply the masala all over the chicken, mix well, cover and refrigerate
in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Wash the rice and soak them in good water for at the least 20 to 30 minutes.

Method:

Take a wide
bottomed, deep kadai and pour in the 2 tbsp of oil and 1tbsp + 2 tsp
tbsp of ghee, heat it for 30 secs. Do the seasoning with cinnamon,
cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, star anise and mace. Add the whole spices
one by one and fry them well.

Now dump in the finely
sliced onions, slit open green chillies to the oil and add a pinch of
salt. Let the onions fry for 1 to 2 minutes on a medium flame until they
are golden in colour. Spoon in 1 tsp of ginger garlic garlic paste to
the onion , saute them well so that it doesn't get stick to the bottom.

Add half of the chopped mint and coriander leaves and mix well for 10 secs. Next add in the ground onion paste , required salt and stir often, if unattended, the paste will stick on to the bottom. Cover and cook the onion paste for 2 to 3 minutes on medium low flame or until the oil starts appearing on the sides and top.

Now
drop in the cubed tomatoes and let them cook until they are soft,
beginning to break. At this stage add the marinated chicken pieces to
the masala and mix them thoroughly. Do not add water at this stage.
Cover the pan and cook the chicken for 5 minutes on medium low flame. By
now, the chicken would have turned to pale white in colour.

Pour
in 3 3/4 cup of water ( 1 :1 1/4 , rice to water ratio) and combine
well with the korma. Let them sit in the medium heat and boil for a
minutes.

Add the soaked rice and the reamaing chopped
corainder , mint leaves at this stage and mix well. Check for the salt
and cook open on medium low flame until the rice gets 50 % cooked. Do
not forget to stir once or twice and cover the pot with a tight lid or cover it with aluminium foil like in the pic, to keep the steam inside.

Heat a tawa/ dosa pan on high flame for a minute and keep the briyani pot on top. Initially the flame has be in medium for the first 3 to 4 minutes and then lower the flame completely to simmer and let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Later switch off the stove, remove the pot from the heat, wait for 2 minutes and then remove the foil and pour in / sprinkle the lemon juice , 1 tsp of ghee in circles. Again cover the pan with the aluminium foil, let it sit for 5 minutes. Later, open the pan and fluff the rice with a fork and serve with chicken curry and raita.

My Notes:

As
I've already mentioned, this is a mildly spiced biryani, use hot red
chilli powder instead of Kashmiri chilli powder and add more green
chillies.

U may also add ( 1 : 1 , rice to water ratio, if soaking the rice for long) to get a grainy rice.

There's no curd , turmeric powder needed for this recipe. If needed, u may add turmeric powder to this recipe.